While much of the attention during the Patriots' offseason, for good reason, has been focused on the quarterback position after Tom Brady, the hardest-hit position was actually linebacker.
Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts — three mainstays at stand-up linebacker for the Patriots in recent years — are playing elsewhere. Van Noy ended up making his biggest impact on the edge in 2019, but when injuries hit in 2018, Van Noy was the first one tabbed to play off the ball and he did very well. There really wasn't a position he couldn't play, so he very much should be included in that group.
The Patriots' depth chart of experienced at off-the-ball linebacker after that exodus? You could host them in a phone booth:
Dont'a Hightower
Ja'Whaun Bentley
That's really it. Beyond that, the Patriots have some special teams-focused linebackers — Brandon King (a former safety coming off injury), Terez Hall and sixth-round pick Cassh Maluia — and there's high hopes Scoota Harris, a priority undrafted free agent, can provide immediate depth.
But Hightower and Bentley are being counted on heavily.
Hightower needs no introduction. When healthy, he's spectacular and can fill any role needed against that week's opponent — middle linebacker, weakside, strong side and pass rusher. He was noticeably trimmed down last year in camp, and the difference was huge.
A year after basically hobbling around the field with injuries and struggling in pass coverage, Hightower looked strong for most of the 2019 campaign and was voted to the Pro Bowl. We gave Hightower a B for being a good NFL starter (top 10 to 15 at his position) and a minus because he's trending downward slightly — he was one of those on defense who was not as impactful late as earlier in the season and because of his age/mileage:
Dont’a Hightower (71.3%): Enjoyed one of his healthiest seasons to date as he started to take his off-field work just as seriously as the on-field stuff. Was third on the team with 19.5 pressures and was very good against the run. Was voted to the Pro Bowl as he regained the playmaking he showed from 2014-16. But he’s going to be 30 soon and you wonder how much more mileage he has left with high-level play. Grade: B-minus.
Outside of two plays, fifth-round pick Ja’Whaun Bentley showed more in one game than he did in 11 camp practices. The two plays: I think he was supposed to have FB Elijah Wellman, who slid away from Wise for 11-yard reception late in the first quarter; and Bentley showed some of his limited athletic ability on Colt McCoy’s scramble with 10:57 left in the second quarter where Bentley was slow to react/anticipate and then couldn’t get off the block of the running back. Other than that, Bentley was lights out. Had him for a team-leading seven impactful plays, including a forced fumble that was ruled down. Probably the most encouraging thing was he had two excellent pass tackles — Bentley was thought to be mostly a two-down backer, but he showed mostly good wheels in this game. He also had an excellent play on the goal line on the first play after the secondary debacle with 4:55 left in the first half. This will likely kickoff a competition for the starting Mike spot with Elandon Roberts, who was solid in this game.
Ja’Whaun Bentley (27.3%): After coming out like gangbusters as a rookie, Bentley didn’t stand out in any way, really, in his second season, his first back from an upper-body injury. Seemed slower and not as strong. Will need to take a big leap this offseason. Grade: D.